The Brown County dog warden's office said Michael Moxley, 40, had gotten the three pit bulls three weeks ago from someone he met on Craigslist.

Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the warden's office said, the dogs attacked Moxley.

Moxley was airlifted to University Hospital for treatment. His condition has not been released, but the person who called 911 said he was bleeding from the face.

A neighbor shot two of the dogs to stop the attack, authorities said. Both animals survived.

"The bullet didn't even penetrate the skull," said Chief Dog Warden Mike Darnall. "It was underneath the skin right there. The other dog was shot through the rib cage, (and) it went clear through the dog, and it didn't even slow him down at all."

The dogs were rounded up and later euthanized, Darnall said.

Investigators are trying to track down the dogs' former owners to question them in the case.